The Killer's Apprentice
by rlb190
Summary: Our beloved Spencer Reid is visited one night by a mysterious stranger named Scourge. He makes an interesting offer, Reid learns the ways of killing to become the next Scourge, or his mother, among his loved ones, die. With little choice left, will Reid tell someone about this blackmail, or will he crumble and become the killer's next apprentice?
1. The Offer

Dr. Spencer Reid had never wanted to get involved in this case.

He just knew from the start it was a bad idea. His headaches had been getting worse, and no doctor could tell him what was wrong. Even though he had brushed aside Hotch's offer to take some time, right now, he really wished that he had taken a few days off/

He finally reached his floor of his building and rubbed his midsection as it racked with pain. He had been shot during their last case. Luckily, he was wearing a bullet proof vest, but it still hurt like hell, and caused a wicked bruise.

He rummaged through his bag to find his keys. It was late, he was exhausted from the flight home, and all he wanted to do right now was to fall into bed.

Yes, sleep sounded like a good idea right now. He would shower later, it was all he took just to stay awake as he pushed his key into the lock and opened door. His alarm system didn't beep, which concerned him. He felt his hand drift towards his gun and he walked in.

He pulled it out of its holster, resting his hand on it. He searched his small apartment. It was clear. He breathed a sigh of relief and holstered his weapon. The alarm probably beeped. He was just paranoid and tired. He set his gun and holster on his well-worn dresser and slid his bag off of her shoulder, placing it neatly next to his holster. He winced as he turned around.

God, his stomach was killing him.

He treaded wearily into his front room so he could take off his shoes.

"Nice little place you have here." said a voice. Reid whipped around. A figure was standing by his bookcase. In one hand, a book titled "_Demographics of Serial Killers." _was opened casually to a page. In the other hand, a gun was pointed at Reid.

"W-who are you? How did you get in here?" Reid asked him, trying to keep his cool in front of this figure. The voice sounded deep, so it must have been a male.

"Oh, Spencer. We'll save that for later. And for how I got in here, well…" he chuckled. "You should really improve your security from a simple alarm like that."

Reid took a few deep breaths. "I thought it was pretty up-to-date."

"It wasn't very easy for me to get in here, really. That's something we're going to have to fix."

"We?" Reid questioned while his heart pounded in his chest.

"We is correct, Spencer. You feel it, don't you?"

"Feel what?"

"Your headaches, Spencer, your mind. You're a smart kid, but a skitzo for a mother and a runaway father? Harsh." Reid looked at the gun, and then let his eyes look around.

_Find a weapon, find a weapon._

"Oh, I'm afraid you won't need any weapons. I don't intend to harm you."

"Then what's with the gun pointed at me?"

The person shrugged. "To keep you still. I need you alive to train you."

"Train me? Train me for what? Who are you?" he asked again.

"To kill."

If Reid's heart had been beating fast before, now it was doing a Macarena solo in his chest.

"You have a talent, and promise of what would make a good killer. And who am I?"

The person shut the book with a gloved hand and tossed it onto the floor. "Officially, my name is Scourge. But since you're going to be my apprentice, you can call me Master."

Reid stared at him. "Apprentice."

"Indeed, you heard me right, Spencer. Oh, and before you try and call your FBI friends…" Reid swore quietly to himself. His hand was only inches from his phone in his pocket.

"Do try and think of your dear mother. I'm sure you won't want any of the voices inside of her head to convince her to do something terrible. And I wouldn't tell anyone about this little meeting, apprentice. Give what I said a little thought, won't you?"

With that, the person backed into the shadows and left through the open window down the fire escape. Reid stared at the bookshelf and the book on the floor. When he was sure it was safe, he walked over to the bookshelf and picked up the book from the floor. He pushed it back into its place in the bookshelf, his hands shaking.

His mother was in danger. He didn't who this person was, and how they could hurt her… but he couldn't call his bluff. He didn't even know if he _was _bluffing.

He snapped the window shut, drew all the curtains, and turned on every light in his house. His bruised abdomen was the last thing on his mind as he started the coffee maker.

He didn't sleep at all the night, he didn't eat, he didn't read, he didn't do anything except drink cup after cup of coffee and thinking.

Yes, he was scared. Yes, he was worried. Yes, he wanted to tell someone.

But no, he couldn't.

**And end. What do you guys think? It's my first Criminal Minds fic, though I've been a fan of the show for a long time. You like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think! Should I even update or leave it as it is? I'm not sure….**

**Peace and Mist,**

**Rlb190**


	2. It Begins

Reid arrived at work that day at his normal time, exhausted and pained. As he walked into the room, Morgan looked from his desk. "Hey man, you okay? You look terrible."

He was right. Reid had dark circles under his eyes, his clothes were the same ones as he was wearing yesterday, they were rumpled and mused.

"Um, yeah, yeah. It's just that there was a fire, uh, in the lobby of my building and they made everyone leave. I didn't get any sleep last night."

At this moment, Emily popped her head up behind her computer. "Poor you. You can always stay with me if you need to." Reid smiled wearily. "That's alright. I've got it all sorted out."

He set his bag down next to his desk and turned on his computer. He wasn't lying technically. In a sense, a fire could be the cause of destruction, and Scourge really was a cause of destruction.

It was an uneventful day for the most part. Just boring paperwork and the quiet, normal sounds of an office. Reid spent the day doing paperwork about their latest case, but it when painfully slow. He was too busy thinking about what to do. It was an internal conflict going on.

On one hand, Scourge could just be bluffing, just trying to mess with Reid. He could just tell Hotch or Rossi or Morgan or _somebody _for Pete's sake. He'd get his mother into protective custody just in case… But what if Scourge was serious? He'd be putting his friends and family in danger if he told anyone, or refused.

The choice was just too difficult. He wasn't a killer. He wasn't, he was one of the good guys. Dr. Spencer Reid wasn't made to be a killer.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't heard of Scourge before, and he hadn't read about him either. He looked up at his computer screen and logged onto the FBI database. He clicked on the 'Records' page and looked up "Scourge."

There wasn't much information, though what was there was interesting to say the least. There had been killings by "Scourge" since the early 60's. In total, there were over a hundred people murdered in the same fashion, shot first, and then their throats cut. There wasn't specific type of victim; it was so difficult to profile. No one was even arrested as suspect.

Suddenly, his computer crashed. He was taken aback as the screen switched to black. He pressed a few keys on his keyboard. Nothing happened for a moment, but suddenly blood red text flashed across the screen.

"_The armies of Satan shall not prevail. Isn't that right, Spencer?"_

Reid stared at the screen, not breathing. He flashed back to same message on the computer he had been using when it had been hacked by Tobias Hankel.

Reid wasn't sure if it would work, but he typed back.

**How do you know about that? **

The reply was quicker than it should have been,

_I know everything about you Spencer. After all, we must learn to trust one another if you're going to be working for me._

**I won't be. I'll stop you.**

_Now, Spencer. You know what will happen if you do that._

**Alone, I'll catch you.**

_And kill me?_

Reid froze. He wasn't a killer, and he never would be.

**I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life locked up.**

_Oh, really now? That's no way to talk to your Master._

**You are not my 'Master'. And I'm not talking to you, I'm typing.**

_Always the funny one, aren't you? Don't worry apprentice, Scourge will live on, through you._

**You're dreaming.**

_Am I? I killed my last apprentice to make the spot open for you. Why waste a life like that? You're just like me, Spencer._

**I'm nothing like you. I never will be.**

_Aw, you act like you have a choice. Face it, Spencer. You'll become Scourge one day. I'll break you soon enough._

Reid was about to type a reply to the chilling comment, but suddenly JJ walked by. "What are you doing, Reid?"

"Huh?" Reid asked, looking back at JJ. "It's late, Reid. We're the last ones here. You should probably get home soon. Don't you have that doctor's appointment tomorrow to clear you for travel? She suddenly laughed and looked at the screen. "Looking for Christmas presents already?"

Reid faced his computer. It was open to a google search page about what to get co-workers.

"Oh, yeah. You're right, I should probably go home." He said while his heart raced. He hacked into his computer, and what was worse, slipped through the three firewalls Reid had installed after Tobias hacked him.

JJ smiled at him and walked out of the dim office. Reid hadn't noticed it was late. He had been so caught up… why didn't he notice?

When he returned home, his alarm didn't beep again. He put a hand on his gun, this time feeling ready for anything.

Instead of finding anyone is his apartment that night, he saw two books tosses onto the floor. One was the one that Scourge had been holding the night before, and another was a book titled _It Begins. _Reid bent over and picked up the books, putting them neatly back into the shelf.

It was needless to say, Dr. Spencer Reid didn't sleep well that night.

**And fin. What do you guys thinks?**

**Peace and Mist,**

**Rlb190**


	3. Overdose

It was late, and Reid was awake. Sure, he felt exhausted, but his mind was preventing him from sleeping.

_What do I do?_

He was not a killer, but he didn't want his friends to get hurt. He placed his cell phone on the center of the table. He stared at it. It was off; no lights were coming from it.

That night, Reid had bought a chain lock from a local home improvement store, and a window lock. He had made plans to get a new alarm system. He was becoming paranoid.

_Who is this guy? What does he want from me?_

The question swirled around in his head. He picked up the phone. It was strange, that when it's off it's just a hunk of metal and plastic you carry around, but when it's on…

He turned on the phone. The time read that it was almost 4 in the morning. He was going to tell someone. But who? Who would believe him?

Who could he trust?

He thought about it for a moment, then dialing a number. It rang… and rang… he was afraid he'd get the machine, but at the last moment, Emily Prentiss answered the phone.

"Hello?" she murmured sleepily. "Reid? It's the middle of the night."

"Actually, it's actually-."

"Day time, I got it." Prentiss sighed. "What's up?"

"Um, well…" Where did he begin?

He told her everything. From coming home that first night to Scourge hacking the computer. He told her the whole, uncensored truth. When he finished, the other end of the line was silent.

"Hello?" Reid asked.

"Reid! You can't be alone right now!"

"Oh, um, well-."

"I'm coming over. I'll call Hotch on the way there. Stay put; don't open the door for anyone. I'll be there in ten."

"Prentiss, wait, I mean-."

"I mean it, Reid!"

"Okay." He could here Prentiss moving around, probably getting dressed. "Keep an eye out for me."

She hung up. Reid put the phone back down on the table. He should feel relieved. They were going to catch this guy, his friends would be safe… but why did he feel like something bad was going to happen.

Suddenly, the phone rang. He looked at the caller ID The number was Blocked.

He answered tensely. "H-hello?"

"Spencer, I warned you. You shouldn't have told Agent Prentiss. Luckily, I intercepted her when before she called anyone else."

The room seemed to drop a few degrees colder.

"What did you do?"

Scourge chuckled. "Let's just say Miss Prentiss won't be in work tomorrow."

"You… you…!" Reid felt his anger rise. Though he didn't curse, he wanted to right now.

"It's your fault, Spencer. It's your entire fault."

"Where is she!?" Reid demanded.

"Main Street and Weston. Be careful Reid. Tell someone else and I won't be as lenient."

Reid was about to respond, but all he got was dial tone. Scourge had hung up. Reid grabbed his keys, bag, and gun and practically flew down the several flights of stairs to his car.

He drove as quickly as he could without getting pulled over until he ended up in the intersection. There was only one car on the road, in the center of the intersection. The only light was from an orange street lamp. Reid pulled over and felt a wave of despair wash over him.

"No… No... No, no, no…" he heard himself muttering over and over.

He ran over to car. Prentiss was in their alright, but she wasn't moving. Reid threw open the car door. He leant over her.

"Prentiss?! Prentiss!" he checked her pulse. It was there, but weak. He unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her out of the car, on the street. He rested her head in his lap. She looked over. He was a little needle mark on her arm, but didn't pay much attention to it, too concerned about her.

He pulled out his phone and dialed the first person he could think of.

"Hotch!"

"Reid? What's the matter?"

"It's Prentiss! We're on Main and Weston. She's… she's not, I mean, I don't-."

"Call an ambulance, I'll be their shortly."

Reid looked down at Prentiss and felt a wave of guilt wash over him.

_It's my entire fault._

He called 911, and only a few minutes later an ambulance showed up. The medics started to take care of Prentiss. They asked Reid a bunch of questions about her medical history, only a few of which he could reply to. He rode with them to the hospital, leaving his car on the side of the road.

In the ambulance, there was a blood curling sound of a flat line, and one of medics began preforming CPR. Reid felt so helpless was he watched Prentiss go from flesh colored to a blue.

When they got to hospital, they wheeled her away. Reid couldn't make sense of it. He was thinking about other things, but he did catch things like

"_Breathing tube"_

"_Gastric lavage"_

"_Naloxone, 2 ounces…"_

The words flew over his head. He was filled with worry. That's when a nurse asked him to wait in the waiting room, so he did. He waited until Hotch showed up and dint' speak when Morgan or JJ or Garcia arrived. He just stared down at his hands, waiting.

_It's my entire fault. It's all my fault. It's my fault. It was me that did this to her. He was right, it's my fault. Prentiss is hurt… Prentiss might die… it's all on me… I did this to her._

Finally, a doctor in blue scrubs walked in. "Emily Prentiss?" he asked. Everyone stood up, including Reid. "How is she, doctor?" asked Hotch in his usual professional manner.

"We pumped her stomach. She was showing signs of a serious Hydromorphone overdose." He said simply. "She's stable for now, and appears to be in a coma."

"Will…will she wake up?" asked Garcia asked nervously.

The young doctor ran a hand threw his hair. "I'm not sure." he admitted.

Reid stopped listening to him after he said overdose. He should have known. Naloxone was a drug used to counter the effects of opioid overdose, such as heroin or morphine…

Hydromorphone was what she overdosed on.

Also known as Dilaudid.

**Next chapter done! Love it? Hate it? What do you should happen next? Let me know!**

**Peace and Mist,**

**Rlb190**


	4. Abduction

Seeing Prentiss on that white hospital bed was too much for Reid. One look her, and he felt as though he wanted to throw up. He pushed his way out of the room, barely muttering 'excuse me' before he was out of there

_My fault._

No, that's not right… he didn't do this to Emily, he didn't, he wouldn't…

_It was me. _He thought bitterly to himself.

He shot out of the room and walked down the hallway. Of course, it wasn't long before Hotch had caught up to him.

"Reid…" Reid didn't stop walking. "Reid!" He grabbed Reid's shoulder, so Reid whirled around.

"Do you know anything about this?" he asked. Reid shook his head, lying with what he noticed was with ease.

Hotch inspected Reid's face. "If you need to take some time…" Reid ran hand through his hair. "I don't know, I just don't know right now Hotch. I'll… I'll call you." Hotch was quiet for a moment, but then nodded.

"Take all the time you need."

Reid nodded. "Um, I left my car…" he muttered. Suddenly, Morgan popped out of nowhere. "No problem, kid. Just drove it home, I'll give you a ride."

"Oh, um, thanks Morgan."

The ride home was silent, as was the simple smile and wave that Reid gave Morgan as he drove off. As soon as the car was gone, Reid ran up the stairs to him apartment and flung open door. The alarm didn't beep. He dialed Hotch.

"_Reid?"_

"**Yeah, it's me. I think… I think I need to take a few days."**

"_Of course. All the time you need."_

"**Thanks Hotch."**

"_Don't worry Reid, Prentiss will pull through."_

"**I hope so."**

When he hung up, he groaned.

"You Spencer Reid, are the worst person in the world." Reid said out loud to himself.

His mind was going a million miles a minute.

_My fault, it was me… I almost killed Emily. I almost killed someone. It was my fault, my fault, all mine…_

"Oh, Spencer, you almost killed Emily."

Reid whirled around. There was Scourge, by his bookshelf again.

"You… you did this! You gave her-."

"It was you, Spencer. You shouldn't have told her. You're lucky she's not dead.

"No… You're lying! It wasn't me!"

"Ah, but it was, Spencer. You caused the overdose."

Reid snapped. He practically jumped on top of Scourge, and slammed him with some ungodly strength into his book case. Books fell onto the floor in bunches.

"I swear to god, if you ever hurt anyone one of my friends again."

Scourge was wearing a black mask and a black hood, but even then, Reid could tell that he was smirking.

"Oh, I won't, Spencer. But you will." That's when he heard footsteps behind him. Before he could react, someone grabbed him from behind.

Reid's training took over. He brought his head back as hard as he could into his attacker's face. He heard a crack and a little groan, and he hoped it was his attacker's nose.

He had a death grip around Reid's neck, and threw him to the floor, onto his knees. Reid struggled to break free, and somehow managed to lose a shoe trying to kick his attacker in the groin.

Finally, his attacker held him in a head lock. Not hard enough to choke him to death, but still hard enough to hurt.

Scourge leaned down in front of Reid, holding a white cloth in his right hand.

"Oh, Spencer. Don't worry; I have friends on the other side." He pushed the cloth up to Reid's face. Reid needed air, so he had to breathe in the sickly sweet smell. He fought and struggled until it felt like all of his strength had left him. He started to see spots, and then, darkness.

**And end. What do you think? Let me know.**

**Peace and Mist,**

**Rlb190**


	5. Terror

Reid woke up in complete darkness. His head hurt, and he felt so sore, he could barely move. There was no sound but his heart pounding in his ears.

He felt along the ground. It was smoothed, polished, slick. Some sort of metal. He felt his way to a wall, which was also slick, but rougher, like it was wood or something. It was freezing cold, cold enough that Reid felt his fingers going numb.

"You're awake." There was that voice… Scourge. Reid looked around, but it seemed like nothing was there.

"W-where?"

"Somewhere safe. Since you called your work to take a few days off… let's just say you'll be here awhile."

"Why are you keeping me here?' Reid asked to the air, not sure if he was arguing with nothing.

"To break you, Spencer."

"You-!" Reid's voice caught as a shock of pain fluted through his arm. He almost had a heart attack then and there.

"I see you noticed the needle mark."

'What… what did you do?"

"Terror, Spencer. Terror."

Reid didn't say anything, and neither did the voice.

Reid lent back on the wall and stayed still in the dark and quiet, the only movement coming from his right hand gently touching the needle mark on his left arm. Was he scared? Hell yes. Was nervous about whatever he was injected with? You bet. But for the first time…He really was alone.

It was about an hour or so after he had woken up that he was suddenly filled with fear like he had never felt before. Something sinister was crawling around in the small room.

Even though he couldn't see it, he was sure of it. Something freighting beyond words. He was so paralyzed with fear that he struggled to inhale the cool air.

_Venomous snakes? Spiders? _

"What's in here?' he muttered. The room was as dead as space and there was no sound, not even the trace of an echo of Reid talking.

Trembling, he reached out and touched the floor. Nothing but cool metal. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't hear anything, but somehow he knew that something was in the room with him.

"Get me out of here…" he whispered to himself, pulling his knees up to his chest. He stayed curled up in the ball until he practically froze into place.

"It's nothing." He told himself as he crawled his way to the corner of the room.

"There's nothing here. He wrapped his arms around himself. "There's nothing here." He repeated, over and over.

He tried to force himself to think of other things. His friends, his mother, his godson Henry, anything but the fear. But the fear was too powerful.

Black widow spiders. Crocodiles. No, sharks, great whites. 

"That's impossible." He told himself. "I'm not in water." He whispered to himself. It was absurd logically, but why did he believe it?

Strangely, another hour had passed since he panicked; the feeling vanished from him as suddenly as they had appeared. It was almost like he had woken up from a nightmare. Not all of it was gone, but a great deal of it simply disappeared from him.

After a few minutes, he wearily ventured around the room. There was nothing except a cold metal toilet in the far corner of the room. After feeling around, he went back into the same corner and sat down again. He wondered how long he would survive like this.

Over the next few days (Or what he thought were days, he was losing track of time) passed slowly in pain and discomfort. The temperature in the room was usually cold enough that it would leave him shivering, but then it would drop suddenly until he was covered with sweat.

Food, when he got it, was served at what seemed like random times. It came through a hatch door that did not allow light into the room. He profiled what he could.

Feeding at irregular times was a way to throw off his body's natural sense of timing. It was working, seeing as that Reid no longer could tell anything about the world outside of the metal room.

The food stunk, literally. The first he ate it, he almost threw up. He couldn't see it at all, but the texture and smell reminded him of canned dog food. He wasn't given any water.

Then there was the sound- a loud electronic beep that began shortly after he had woken up. It chirped loudly every thirty seconds or so, without stopping. It sounded like a smoke alarm to Reid, but he couldn't tell for sure.

The sound prevented him from sleeping at first, but the physical need for sleep wore him down soon enough. It haunted his dreams and became incredibly painful as it filled the room. He had read about things like this before, It was psychological. Made to confuse someone, often done with sleep deprivation (which explained the beeps), having no contact with anyone at all.

Yup, it defiantly was made, just to mess with his mind.

What made it worse was the uncertainty it all held. The dark was one thing, but being in such a quiet space allowed Reid to explore his mind. He was alone with his thoughts, and the guilt washed over him like a tidal wave. Mostly about Emily in the beginning. But then, his mother… her being alone in a mental hospital, the time he accused his father of murdering a boy from his home, then… all of people he couldn't, no, didn't help. Ryan Phillips… He was a terrible person. He let him die in front of him.

And when he and Emily went undercover in a cult as child physiologists, and she took the blame for being an FBI agent. She gave herself up for him. He never did anything helpful. He never saved anyone, not even once. He made terrible mistakes… he wasn't fit to be in the FBI. He wasn't fit for anything.

Nothing at all.

Finally, when around twelve meals had passed (That was how he kept track of time) the voice came on.

"Are you willing to train now, Spencer?"

Reid kept his mouth glued shut, though he was so happy hear a voice… he was so grateful that someone has talked to him.

"Oh? Would you rather stay here and face this?" It was deadly quiet, but suddenly, he was filled with terror once again. There were snakes in the room. They were crawling all over him, biting into his flesh.

"No! No! Please… just stop." Just as quickly as it happened, it faded.

"Are you willing to train now, Spencer? You know, my friend's nose was broken because of you. He isn't happy about that. It would be in terrible if he somehow found a way in here."

Reid thought quietly for a moment.

"Yes."

**And end. For those of you who saw the new Criminal Minds Episode last night….**

**(SPOILER!) **

**I swear I had no idea that Reid would get shot when I wrote this. When it was over, I started to cry and have a panic attack at the same time… my poor Reid…**

**Now I know how you guys feel.**

**Thanks to referenceforwriters on tumblr for helping me come up with ideas for this chapter.**

**So, like it? Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think **

**Peace and Mist,**

**Rlb190**


	6. Skeletons

When Reid limped his way out of the room, he was in a large warehouse. Everything was too bright, every sound too loud. His head has pounding… he was having one of his headaches. He rubbed his eyes in discomfort.

The person in front him was wearing all black, and a mask. He couldn't see his face, but Scourge could see his.

"A headache, I see?"

Reid didn't say anything Scourge nodded at him. "Stay quiet, and come with me." He began to move, and Reid followed. Little did Scourge know, he wasn't having a headache.

He was hatching a plan.

The walked into a separate room and down a long hallway as Scourge began to speak.  
"Since you are going to become the next Scourge, I suppose to deserve to know what's going on. It all started in the early 18th century. An anti-Freemasonry group arose despite the freemasons. They were a political group in Rome, as the very existence of this order was based around a rejection of Masonic ideas."

They turned a corner. Reid noticed that Scourge walked briskly and confidently, but slowly enough that Reid could keep up.

_Remorse? _Reid thought

"Technically, the entire order is called Scourge. However, the name is also used to the master of the order." He paused, letting sink in. They turned around another corner into a long hallway. Reid was losing track of where he was.

"Ever since 1827, there have been Scourges and apprentices. We descend from a direct line of carefully selected people, Spencer. We build beautiful things out of beautiful bones. A violinist's little left finger, essential to play a violin. A priest's kneecaps, essential for praying. The skull of a professor, required to teach the future of our country."

Reid felt his heart drop into his stomach. These people were… monsters.

The walked up to a door and stopped in front of it. Scourge kept talking. "I'm sure you know how many bones there are in the adult human body."

"A typical adult human skeleton consists of 206 bones, not counting many small and often variable sesamoid bones and ossicles. Individuals may have more or fewer bones than this owing to anatomical variations." Reid replied at once, still in pain from his headache.

"Correct." Scourge opened the door and walked inside, motioning for Reid to follow. It was an elegant room, with floors made of marble, covered with thickly woven rugs. There were same stands, like what a model for a painter would stand on incased in large glass tubes, filled with… bones. Skeletons occupied tem, with spotlights on them like they were something to be looked at.

The ones at the far ends were complete, on stands. They were old, a darker color then newer, milky white ones.

"Over a century, 206 people per skeleton. 31 skeletons. How many people is that, Spencer?"

"…6386." He breathed out. He felt bile run up his throat, burning it. This… this was genocide. A holocaust!

They walked up to a case that had no head. "A skull and mandible, that's what we're missing for number 32."

Reid really felt a headache coming on, not the one he was pretending to have. This was sick, awful… terrible.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Scourge said proudly, like a parent showing off their child.

"Um…" Scourge laughed. "I know, it's not completed yet. Don't worry. You'll fix that."

Someone knocked on the door lightly. "Come in." Scourge ordered. The door opened timidly. It was a young girl; maybe around 14 or 15. She quietly stepped into the room. She had long brown hair braided into a single braid and cloudy grey eyes, which kept downcast. She was wearing and a long, almost gothic style deep red dress that covered her from neck to ankle, and to the very tips of her thin arms, leaving only her hands free. It was so long, Reid couldn't see her feet.

"Sir, someone is calling for you." She said quietly.

"Who is it? I told no one to call today."

"I believe the person called himself Marcus, sir."

Scourge nodded. "I'll go take the call. Maria, take Spencer with you to 5A."

The girl, Maria, nodded. "Of course." Scourge walked towards the door and Maria held it open for him. Once he was gone, Maria shut the door behind her, still keeping her eyes on the floor. She walked up to Reid and help out a bony hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Doctor."

Reid took her hand. "The pleasure is all mine, Maria."

She didn't look up, but Reid could have sworn there was a hint of a smile. "If there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to ask."

"May I ask where we are?"

"I'm sorry to say, you can't. The other one asked that question as well."

"The other one?"

Maria was looking down at Reid's feet.

"The other apprentice. There is only one master and one apprentice."

"Where is he now?"

"Scourge killed him to make the spoke open for you."

_This girl's so docile; it's almost as if she's trained. _He thought to himself.

"Maria…" Reid hesitated. "Yes, sir?" Maria asked.

"Are you alright?" Reid could tell she was nervous. She bit the inside of her cheek.

"You have funny socks."

**And end. What do you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Do you think I'm updating enough? Let me know!**

**Peace and Mist,**

**Rlb190**


	7. Escape

Garcia finally reached Reid's floor after an extensive climb. For the past ten days or so, no one had heard from Reid. Everyone on the team tried to call him at least once, but he didn't pick up the phone, or called anyone back.

Garcia had wanted to come since the start, but Hotch told her that Reid needed some time to think.

On the tenth day, Hotch finally said that someone should go over and check on Reid. Garcia volunteered her services.

She walked up to his door, and knocked lightly. "Reid?" There was no reply. "Reid, I know you might not want to talk to anyone, but knock twice if you're alive?" she offered. There was no knock.

Garcia drew in a breath. "Reid?" she knocked harder, thinking that he might be sleeping or something.

It was silent.

"Oh god, oh god." Garcia pulled her phone out her bag and was about to dial Hotch, when her phone rang. It was an unknown number, but she opened her phone anyways.

"_Hello?" _she asked, a bit frantically.

"**Garcia."** It was Reid!

"_Reid, are you alright!? Are you home?"_

"**Um, no. I'm in Los Vegas."**

"_I'm sorry, what?"_

"**I'm in Vegas. Uh, I just needed some time, you know? To visit my mother."**

"_Jesus Christ Reid! Tell somebody when you're going to do that."_

"**I know. I'm sorry Garcia. Can you tell the others? The phone is about to die."**

"_Hey, why aren't you using your normal phone?"_

"**I forgot it on the plane."**

_Garcia laughed. "Reid! That's just like you."_

"**Yeah, I know. It was um, it was pretty stupid of me. I'm using a nurse's cellphone. I've got to go."**

"_Okay. Call again when you get the chance. I really hope you get things figured out, Reid."_

"**Me too. **

"_Bye, Reid."_

"**Bye, Garcia."**

Reid shut the landline phone down. Apparently, the room that Maria was supposed to take him to was so he could call someone and get them not to worry about him.

There was a single landline on a metal table in this small room, with a little light hanging from the ceiling that cast shadows on everything.

Reid looked at Maria, who was in the corner of the room, near the door. Maria took the phone off the table and put in it a small drawer.

Reid could tell a lot about Maria. She was nervous to be around him, and every few seconds, he could swear that she'd glance at the camera in the far corner of the room. She wanted to tell Reid something, but she could get in trouble for it.

"If you will please follow me, Doctor."

She opened the door to the room and led him down the hallway. He followed her into a small stairwell. She opened the door into the stairwell, but as soon as that door closed, she put her back on it and faced Reid.

"You don't want to be here, do you?" she asked so sharply, that Reid was surprised that she was the same person in front of the cameras.

Reid shook his head.

Maria looked him directly in the eyes, her cloudy grey eyes boring into his brown ones. "Okay, listen. You need to climb up these stairs and you'll be on the ground floor. Once you leave the stairwell, you go down the hallway, then take your first right. Once you do, you'll be facing a large metal door…"

She reached into a pocket in her dress that Reid had not noticed before and pulled out a keycard. She tosses it at him, and he fumbled to catch it.

"Use this to unlock it. You'll need to be quick. Once they see you leave the stairwell alone, you have to run as fast as you can. Once you get out, you need to run as fast as you can to the first police station you see. They won't go that far."

Reid looked from the keycard to Maria, then back at the keycard. "Why are you helping me?"

Maria bit her inside cheek. "Once you find help, send people back here. Then we'll talk. Now go!" She pushed Redi towards the stairs.

"Maria, whoa, Maria, wait!" Reid gripped the railing. "Maria, you can't stay here." Maria rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine. Scourge won't hurt me, okay, more running, less talking!" she pushed him up again. Reid sprinted up the stairs. Once Maria was sure that he was gone, she sat on the floor and leant up on the wall. She closed her eyes in a tight wince.

"This is gonna hurt." She slammed her head into the wall so hard she was seeing starts. "That hurt." She muttered.

But it was to make sure they people thought that Reid had overpowered her, though she wasn't so sure that he could hit that hard.

**And done. What do you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know!**

**Peace and Mist,**

**Rlb190**


	8. Failure

Reid sprinted up the stairs, moving as fast as his legs could move. When he reached the top, he flung open the door and ran down the hallway. Almost at once, an alarm began to blare. It was a loud noise that made one think of a flashing red light.

"Down the hallway…" Reid muttered to himself. He heard footsteps in the distance as he reached an intersection of which way to go. "First right…" He sped down the corner, taking his first right as Maria had said. There were some shouting voices, but they seemed too far away to catch up.

Finally, Reid reached the metal doors that Maria had described. He fumbled with the key card, yet managed to swipe it through the card reader. The light above the door flashed green and Reid yanked the door open.

He was faced with almost a lobby of some sorts, but he didn't have much time to inspect it. It all flew by as he raced out of the building. The first thing that hit him was a shock of hot, dry. It was dark outside, but Reid couldn't tell if it was morning or night. The second thing was _'Where the heck am I?' _He noticed a sign as he sprinted on a road. "Welcome to Honaker, VA"

The air was burning his lungs as he sprinted in towards the city limits. At least he was still in Virginia. Then, he heard the screeching of tires behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw a black van come screeching towards him. He didn't stop running though. He ran and ran, but the van caught up with him.

The van skid in a curve in front of him, blacking his running path. Reid almost slammed into the car, but stopped himself just in time to avoid it. The door was flung open, and before he knew, Reid was surrounded by gun and men in all black.

Reid froze as Scourge hopped casually out from the van. "You shouldn't have done that." he said darkly.

Reid noticed that Scourge was holding a gun, and his heart almost flew out of his chest. Maybe he would have a heart attack and die. That would be better than being a killer.

"Come this way, Spencer." Scourge motioned with his gun to the van's door. Reid hesitated, but when he felt the barrel of the gun on his back, he went into the van with Scourge. There were a few seats in the back, and Scourge quickly handcuffed Reid to pole that was used for helping people stepping in and out of the van.

The door slid shut, and Scourge dropped a panel down from the van's wall. There were three TV screens. One showed an empty house, probably from a web cam. The walls were a dull white and the curtains an even duller grey. The middle screen had people in it. A family, actually. There was a young mother with her two little toddlers. They were eating something that Reid assumed was dinner. They were laughing, and goofing around. The third screen had an old lady with a yarn ball and knitting needles. She was sitting in an armchair, working away. The yarn was light blue, perhaps a baby blanket of some sorts.

Reid glanced at Scourge and felt fear wash over him. This wasn't going to be like before, right? It couldn't be…

"Choose one to live."

Reid felt his heart practically stop. "W-what? No." Scourge didn't miss a beat. "Choose one to live."

"No. I can't."

"Choose or they all die." Scourge said his voice deadpan.

Reid drew in a breath. How was he supposed to choose? He couldn't, not like before.

"Five."

He couldn't.

"Four."

He couldn't

"Three."

But he should.

"Two."

He really should.

"One."

So he did.

"Middle screen!" He gasped out. Scourge nodded and pressed a button on a small little remote that he had. Reid watched as everything unfolded. First, the old lady's house. She was sitting there, knitting quietly when suddenly the door burst open. Reid watched as she begged and pleaded for her life, and he watched as a blade ran across her throat.

Then the first screen Reid had seen. Reid could hear the screams of someone before they were dragged by their hair in front of the computer. It was a young girl, a college student, maybe. Reid watched as a person in all black held a gun to her head. And he watched as her brains hit the wall.

Reid stared blankly at screens, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"That," Scourge said, almost pleasantly. "Was all your fault."

It was, wasn't? It was all his fault.

All. His. Fault.

**And end. What do you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Any ideas? Let me know.**

**Peace and Mist,**

**Rlb190**


	9. Reciprocate

Agent Derek Morgan set his coffee down on his desk and sat in his chair. He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. It had been a long night at the hospital, by Emily's side. Every night, one of the BAU members sat beside her bed, hoping for her to wake up. Unluckily, she hadn't yet. They didn't even know if she'd ever wake up again.

And that was depressing enough to need more coffee than normal.

He turned on his computer as someone walked passed him to the desk in front of him.

"Reid! Hey man, you're back."

Reid look tired as he slung his bag onto his desk. "Yeah. My plane got in this morning."

"You, uh, got everything worked out okay?" Reid nodded and sat down at his desk. He flicked on his computer. "Yeah. I think I'm good now." he said as he opened his bag. Garcia walked into the room, one hand holding a remote, the other a coffee. "We're re- Reid! You're back!"

"Yeah, I am."

"How was Vegas?"

Reid laughed. "I was banned from another casino. I think I'm on the watch list now." Morgan and Garcia both grinned at this. "Again?" Morgan asked, standing up.

Reid grabbed his bag and put some papers in it before standing up and putting it over his shoulder. "What can I say? I have an amazing card-counting ability."

It was only a few minutes later when the entire team was sitting around the round table. Rossi, Hotch, Morgan, JJ, Reid, but someone was missing… Emily. The thought of that hung a blanket of sorrow over the team as Garcia began to talk.

"Okay, so… this is, well, a little weird."

"Weird?' asked Rossi.

"Um, yeah. Weird. In just California, it's a grand total of 51 deaths."

"51? How could we have not known about that?' asked Reid.

"Um, most of the deaths were reported as accidental or natural causes. It wasn't until recently that the good people in California finally connected the puzzle pieces. All of the bodies were missing something… important. A bone."

"A bone?' questioned JJ.

"Yeah." Garcia clicked her remote. The screen behind flashed the images of three bodies surrounded by crime scene tape and markers. Each body was indeed, missing a bone.

"Bones are interesting subjects. They symbolize our mortality, so if the killer takes and keeps these bones, they could be obsessed with living. Like the fountain of youth." Reid said as he tilted his head to look at the screen.

"Just three days ago, Charles Thompson-," The screen flashed a driver's license picture of a man with a balding head, brown eyes, and a large smile. "The former mayor and in the race for governor of California was killed. His jaw was taken." She clicked her remote again, and another driver's license picture popped up. It was a smiling middle aged woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes.

"Yesterday, a professor at Caltech was murdered. Her entire skull was taken." She closed her eyes as she clicked her remote. The screen flashed a picture of the body.

"Just the skull? Not the skin?" Hotch asked thoughtfully.

"No, sir. Just the skull."

"It looks like he's taking trophies." Reid said. JJ nodded. "But different bones? Why isn't this killer consistent?"

Reid shrugged. "It could be that he's using the bones."

"But for what?" Morgan asked.

Reid shook his head. "I need to look into it."

**And end! What do you think? Like? Love it? Hate it? Let me know!**

**Peace and Mist,**

**Rlb190**


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